Artificial minnow



F. JORDAN.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIII W.

UNITED sTATE FRANK JORDAN, oF Nnw YORK, ixr. Y.

ARTIFICIAL minnow.

Application filed January 10, 1916.

2' 1o aZZ w/wm 'it may camera j Be it known that I, FRANK JORDAN, ofv

vthe boat, if desred, but which inay also be used so as to inaintain the minnow in the water at a distance to either one or the other -side of the path of movement of the boat.

It is particularly advantageous to provide a minnow or lure so that it can be conveyed V through the water at one sideof the path of movement of the boat, as many fish are frightened away by the movement of the I of the nature of its construction.

boat, and, in fact, only the least desirable fish may be caught by trolling in the water which has been disturbed by the passage of the boat. In fact, as the boat passes along through the water the most desirable game fish pass to one side or the other of the boat so as to be away from the path ofmovev ment thereof. Previously, when it was Vdesired to catch fish at a distance from the boat on one or the other sides thereof, it was necessary to accomplish the same by casting, that is to say, throwing a lure by means of a short rod having l'a line andav reel. This is very laborious indeed, and requires a great degree of skill, and is very wearing on the tackle. My invention obviates the necessity of such casting. My device is, in effect, a dirigible minnow and top water lure, and it can be sent out for great distance to either side of the boat because It can readily be guided by the rod or reel so as to pass along the edge of lily pads, reeds, rocks, stumps, etc., where the most desirable fish, especially bass, are likely to be, and where they would be undisturbed by the noise, shadow, or movement of the passing boat. The operation of the minnow,'furthermore, does not require any violent movements of the rod and tackle, as in the case of casting, which would tend to frighten away the fish. v

A further object of my iiivention is to provide an artificial minnow which is flat in Specification of Letters Patent. l Pateilted Dem 7, 1920 l Serial No. 71,348.

shape, so as to give the necessary stability, and tliereby avoid the rotation of the minnow in the water, and so as to provide frictional resistance to deflect it awa from the path of movement of the boat y arranging the minnow so that it does not revolve in the water there is no dan er of twisting or kinking the line in the Water, even though iio swivels are used. In my minnow, furtherniore, the fish line may be attached directly' to an eyelet in the minnow without using aiiy bridle, it being advantageous to PATENT orl-'ice avoid bridles, as the latter tend to cause 4 the minnow to dive.

`While my inventioii is capable of embodiment inmany different forms, forv the purposes of-illustration I have shown only one form thereof in the accoinpanying drawl ings, in which- Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of the minnow,

Fig. 2 is a Vertical section of the same on a line passing through the fin recesses.

In the drawings I have shown a block 1 which is preferably larger at its front end than at its rear end, and having in general the shape` of a minnow, and which may, ifv

desired, be made of some material lighter than water, as, for example, Wood. It may be provided on the'out side with any desired color, as, for example, a tliick coating of paint 2. At its front oi' larger end, the block 1 carries an eyelet 3 for the attachment of a fishing linev when the device is-v used for trolling behind the boat. At the other end' the block 1 is provided with aii4 leyelet 4 towhich tliere is attached any suitable set of fish liooks 5. At one side, the block 1, furthermore, is provided with an eyelet 6, to which the line is attached when the minnow lis to beV used in the water at V one side of the path of niovement of theV boat. In the body of the block there are preferably provided forward and rear fins 7 and 8, which preferably have slots 9 and 10 through which pass pins 11 and 12'ii`1 such a manner as to perinit Vertical movementby gravty of the fins 7 and 8. The size of the fins is preferably such that when the ends of the slots 9 and 10 rest upon the pins 11 and 12, the fins will be flush with one face of the-block 1, while the unslotted portions of the fins 7 and 8 will project beyond the opposite face of the block and serve to guide the minnow at one side of the boat and at a distance from the path thereof. It will, furthermore, be notedI that the fins 7 and 8 are located angularly with regard to each other, so that they vvill tend to continually move the block 1 outwardly W'ater'at'either side of-the'path of moveme'nt1 V novv' into' the wvat'erl at on'e side ofv the boat away from the path of movement of the boat when the fishng line is attached to the side'eyelet 6.

In the operation of m'yinvention, the milf-V now may be used for trolling in the usual Wa-,- by merely attac'hingl the line' to the front-eyelet 3. When d'esred, hovv'ever,- the minn'owflma'y be used so as to operate in of' the boat byl merelyattaching the line' to the side'eelet 61 and then throXvin'g' the minl/V hen this hasbeen done' the fins' 7 and-8 Will fan dowmafdiy uneithfey extena bmw the' lotvr' face of" the block'l and'in'v this 'positi'onf they will efe'ctive'ly guide the'fminnow to Waterlocafted at a distance from the`4 path'of movemeflt offj' the boat. -I-f it is' de'sired to gi'tudiriala-isfofthe minnow isfreversedt practice, it has been found th'a't thefminnow ca-Ii3 be' niade" to take' a p'osiftion as far as forty (40) feet away from the path' off V movenient o'fv'the' boat.y Asthe'boatproceeds through* thezwvater, the 'minnow is' condu'c'ted -alon'gtlie surface of the Water a't'the desired distance fr'oltheboat; and the minnow may be'guided* atlv Will among anyl objects inhitsV vicini'tym'erely by increasing o'r decr'e'asln'g the ftill'upoIi-th'e" line attached to the eyelet 6. f it lsl'd'e'sireds t'o operate in tliewater' on thfe'rother' side of the boat, thev minn'ow is'`V throvvn' into'the'vvater at that side, and'When fall` throughl the bodyv of the' block 1,

V of the boat; and then pumngf hafpiy on the line* so-'tli'atlt-hey extendl beyond the oppos'te side'lto that which they occupied When the' black wastsapn the-'Othef Side af fihexbqa;

* asiabov'e'descrbedi Owin'gto'the' fact thatE the'to'psbf the'fin'sl' and 8` are fiushwvith the surface of'the'l block, the block ivill'not be influeiced5 by1 Vthe'V Wind. Furthermore', the

fre'lativ'eian ul'ar'positions of* the fins'f7 and 8 Will' at'all times t'etld'to`v Inaih'tain the'liiiriiijvvv faf'away from the path ofmovmem of the snow, and

boat, and subject to the will of the fisherman through the increase or decrease of the pull upon thel lineV attached to the eyelet 6. i

Whi'lej have described my invention aboveV in detal, I Wish it to be understood that many chanees may be made thereinrwithout departing fiom the spirit of my nvention.

I claim: V 1. A trolling minnow having a Vertical and vertically movable inflexible,vslotted fin Y inolined to' the longitudinal aXis of the m'iI-inoyv'. 4 V v 2. Ali tfolli'ng minnow having a Vertical and vertically movable infleiible, slotted finl inclined to 'the lon'gitudinal a'ais of the mifnnow, thefconstruction'being such that the angle Vof inclination of said finI` may be' re-. versd.

3. A trollingminnow having a plurality 1 of vertialflan'd vertically movable in'flexil'ile,

- slotted; finsfo'ppositely incline'd'- to the'lon'gitudinal' affxi's: of the minnow.

4; Atrolling minno'v havingv a plurality of` vertical' a-Iid-verticallyx niovable in'fle'xible, sloftted' fiinls'oppositely inclined' to' the longitiidi'nal aii's of'v the mi'nn'oW,` the construc tionl` being such that; said a'ngl'e' of incli'nfa-V tinnia'' be reversd; f V

5'. A tr'ollingA niiiifnovvV having a' vertical anldfverticallyf Iiio'f'a'bl'e1 infl'elxiblslotted fin th'efreoiniy the' construction beingflsuch that said j'tfst-e'e'tl`-` toV extend'V beyondV either face ofV said minnf'ovv'.` z f 6. A-=tr`ollifig1iiinnoitt having' a plurality of'vertical and vertically movabl'e infie'x'i'ble, slott'ed fi'Iis'opposit-lf: inclinJe'd-to the lon'itudifnalaxisf of the minnovv,- 'the'V construction being such" thatl saidZ fins`` may bev adjiisted to*v 'extendf beyond either' face* of the minnoyv'.

7; Alureco'r'nprising abody portion; and'v meansacting upon saidp'ortionadjustable by Vinversiohy off thej 'body' portion tota-use the v llufe' to follov a; path of motion at v'eithe'r soV side of' thel Vpath'v of' motion of the' member V' A trening mififiw" having in' its: bd

portion a'pairof-vertical slots op'po's'itly' inf* 

